Station-indicator



(No Model.) 2 sheets-'sheet 1.

G.. P. RASCK.

STATION INDICATOR.

10.271,985." PatentedTeb.6,188s.

2 sheetssmet 2.

(N0 Model.)

G.'P. RASOK. STATION INDICATOR.

Patented Peb. 6, v1883.f

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UNITED STATES i PATENT EEicE,

GEORGE P. RASGK, OF DES MOINES, IOVA.

STATIN- INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 271,985, dated February 6, 1883.

' Vappiicanon nieaauly 31,1882. (No modi-,1.)

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE l). Rasoir, of' Des Moines, in the county of-Polk and State ot' Iowa, have invented an Improved Station- Indicator for Railways, of which the following is` a specification. r

The object of my invention is to secure the advantages of presenting to the view of travelers in passengencars the names of railroadstations as the train advances from one end of a route to another, and to simultaneously signal the attention of the passengers upon approaching a station, and exposing a card to view that contains the name ot' the station in conspicuous letters.` f

Heretofore maps of routes andlistsof names of stations have been printed upon ribbons and belts to be wound and nnwound and moved by a pair of rollers to bring the names of stations into view successively as the train passed the stations.` The names of stations have also been placed upon rotating disks in such a manner that each station could be presented to view at the proper time as a train advanced back and forth over aronte. Arotating cardcarrier, a reciprocating card-exhibitor, and a signal-bell have also been combined in such a manner that they could be jointly operated to exhibit the name of a station and signal attention thereto bymeans of levers and a ratchet and pawls.

My improvement consists in forming, arranging, and combiningoperative mechanism', as hereinafter fully set forth, in such amanner that the rotary card-carrier, the reciprocating card-exhibitor, the bell-striker, and areversing device will be actuated in concert to automatically exhibit the name ot' a station and `signal attention thereto by simply'turning a crank by means of a cord to rock a shaft at the approach of each station along the route.

Figure l of my accompanying drawings is a longitudinal half-section ofmy indicator. Fig.

2 is a transverse sectional view, showing the operative mechanism at one end of the machine. Fig. 3'iis a sectional view, showing the mechanism of the opposite end for reversing the motion ot" the card-carrier at the end` of aroute. l

Together these figures clearly illustrate the constructiouand operation of my complete invention.

A Aare the end pieces ot' a case. They are preferably made of cast metal, about sevenV inches wide and eleven inches long.

B B are sheet-metal sides, fitted into grooves formed in the inside faces and edges of the ends A.

C C are rods or screw-bolts that extend from one end to the other and clamp the end pieces firmly to the sides, as required, to form a case adapted to retain my card-carrierand its oi, erative mechanism.

A2 are vertical grooved extensions formed on or fixed tothe bottoms and centers of the ends A to serve as bearings in which to operate my reciprocating card-exhibitor.

d is the shaft of my rotating card-carrier, mounted in bearings formed in or fixed to the ends A. j

Nos. l and 2 are circular heads or end pieces of the card-carrier, fixed to the shaft d.

3 4t 5 represent series ot' radial grooves formed in the inside 'faces of the circular end pieces, Nos. l and 2, in such a manner that the ends of the cards can be slipped fromthe peripheries ofthe parallel pieces toward their centers. 6 7 8 represent ratchet-teeth on the peripheries of the same grooved circular ends.l

ff are meta-l bars or brackets, fixed to the inside faces Vof the ends A to support operative mechanisms.

g is a rock-shaft mounted in the bracketsf,

immediately over the card-carrier shaft d. lt extends through one of the ends ot the case, and has a crank, g', attached for operating it by hand, or in any suitable' way.

g" are cranks fixed to the shaft inside of the ends A. i

7L hare elbow-cranks pivoted to extensions `f on the brackets j' to aid in imparting motion from the rock-shaft g to the rotatin g cardcarrier. They are engaged by springs h', fixed to the casein such a manner as to press the upper ends of the cranks It toward the shaft g.

it are pawls connected with the, cranks hf IOO ` Y- y s y motion of the rotary eardearrier at the end -of a route.

k lo are elbow-shaped pawl-lifters, pivoted to theends ofthe case in such positions relative to the pawls i that they can be adjusted and set to engage the pawls and hold them elevated relative tothe ratchets 6 7 8 and inoperative.

k are cam-projections extending laterally from the lower arms of the pawl-lifters k to engage pins lc", that are fixed in the outside faces ofthe ends Nos. l and 2 ofthe card-car rier.

l l are ratchets on the ends of springs fixed to the case in such positions relative to the pawl-lifters 7c that the springs will, in their normal condition, hold up the ratchets to engage their lower ends, and retain them stationary until the pins 7s, carried` by the rotating card-carrier, come in contact with the cams 7c', and adj ust the pawl-lifters as required to elevate or lower the pawls t'. By forming series of perforations'in the opposite ends of the card-carrier adapted to receive the pins 7c those pins may be adjusted so that they will simultaneously engage the camsc' ot' the two pawl-lit'ters 7c, and raise the one and lower the other, as required, to reverse the motion of the card-carrier at the end of each revolution and the end of each route. Each motion imparted to the rock-shalt g by means of the crank 'g' will cause the crank-arms g to strike the vupper arms of the elbow-cranks It, as required, to impart intermittent motions to the rotary card-carrier by means of the pawls t' t" and ratchets 6 7 S.

mm are the vertical end pieces, and m' the cross-piece of a sliding frame and card-exhibitor that moves in the grooves of the extensions A2 of the end pieces, A, ofthe case. It

, is connected with the crank-arms g on the rock-shaft g, by means of pitmen n, in such a manner that at every motion ofthe shaft and intermittent motion of the card-carrier a reciprocating motion will be imparted to the sliding Iframe and card-exhibitor, as required to elevate one card into the card-carrier and receive and lower another to exhibit the name of the station thereon, as shown in Fig. l.

r is a bell fixed to the outside end of the case.

s is a crank pivoted to the inside of the same end of the case in such a `position relative to the crank g that every motion of the rock-shaft g made to impart motion to the rotating card-carrier and reciprocating card-exhibitor will cause the crank g" to engage the crank s in such a manner as to thereby lift a hammer, t, that is connected therewith, and strike the bell, as required, to signal the attention of passengers in the car to the fact that another station is near by, and its name preand subcombination of my invention their unitary actions and the practical operation and utility of the' complete machine are obvious.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a station-iudicator, the combination of the brackets ff', fixed to the ends of the case,

y'the rock-shaft g, having cranks g, carrying` a card-lifting device, an elbow crank, h,'carry ing a pawl, and a rotary card-carrier having a ratchetonits periphery,substantially as shown and described, to operate in the manner set forth, for the purposes specified.

2. The elbow-shaped pawl-lifting device 7., pivoted to the end of' the case, and having a lateral projection, 7c', in combination with the crank It, pivoted to the brackets ff', and carrying a pawl, i, a rotating card-carrier having a ratchet on its periphery, and a projecting pin, k, on itsoutside end face, and' the springratchet l, substantially as shown and described.

3. The elbow-shaped pawl i, pivoted to the bracketf, as shown in Fig. 3, in combination with the elbow-shaped crank h, pivoted to the brackets ff', and the elbow-shaped pawl-lifter k k', pivoted to the end ofthe case, and a ro- I tating cardcarrier having a ratchet on its periphery, and a projecting pin, 7c, at its en d, substantially as setforth,for the purpose specified.

4. The case A B C, having grooved extensions AZ, the sliding frame and card-exhibitor m m', the rock-shaft g, having cranks g, and the pitmen u, arranged and combined, substantially as shown and described, to operate in combination with a rotary card-carrier in the manner set forth, for the purposes specified.

^ 5. The combination ofthe cranks g", pivoted to the opposite ends of the case, and carrying a reciprocating card exhibitor, the elbowcranks h, pivoted to the brackets f f', the pawls fi t for rotating a card-carrier in reverse ways, and the crank s, carrying a hammer, substantially as shown and described, to sim ultaneously exhibit a card and strike a bell,in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

GEORGE?. RASGK.

\'Vitnesses:

JAMES HoRNBEcK, V. S. MARTIN.

IOO

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